1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical connector.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to FIG. 5, a typical optical connector 100 is shown. The optical connector 100 includes a first housing 10, a ferrule 11, a flange 12, a spring 13, and a second housing 14.
The first housing 10 includes a main body 101. The main body 101 is an elongated piece defining a hollow center (not labeled). The main body 101 forms a resisting member 103 on a side surface and one end of the main body 101 forms a lock receiving portion 107. The lock receiving portion 107 defines two latch holes 1071 and a hollow cavity (not labeled) communicating with the latch holes 1071.
The second housing 14 includes a main body 141. The main body 141 is an elongated piece defining a hollow center (not labeled). One end of the main body 141 forms a lock portion 142 and the other end of the main body 141 opposite to the lock portion 142 forms a sleeve portion 143. The lock portion 142 is configured for engaging in the hollow cavity of the lock receiving portion 107 such that the first housing 10 is fixed to the second housing 14. The lock portion 142 forms two protrusions 1423 for engaging in the latch holes 1071 of the lock receiving portion 107 correspondingly.
To assembly the optical connector 100, the ferrule 11 is fixed to the flange 12. An optical fiber □not shown□ is inserted into the sleeve portion 143 and passes through the main body 141 and spring coils of the spring 13 in that order and fixed in the ferrule 11. The lock portion 142 is inserted into the lock receiving portion 107 and the protrusions 1423 are latched in the latch holes 1071. One end of the spring 13 resists the second housing 14 and the other end of the spring 13 resists the flange 12. Thus the spring 13, the flange 12, and the ferrule 11 are received in an enclosed space defined by the first housing 10 and the second housing 14.
The first housing 10 in FIG. 5 is made of plastic materials by injection molding method. Referring to FIG. 6, a mold plate 300 to produce the first housing 10 with injection molding is shown. The mold plate 300 forms a protrusion 310 and defines a gate 320. A shape and a size of the protrusion 310 are same to the latch hole 1071 in FIG. 5 of the first housing 10. In addition, because the resisting member 103 in FIG. 5 and the latch hole 1071 in FIG. 5 are apart with a relatively great distance, the gate 320 is generally required to be defined in a portion, which corresponds to the resisting member 103, of the mold plate 300 such that the melted material flows a relatively short distance and increases the speed of making the first housing 10. During the injection molding, a flow of a melted material 340 is divided into two branches of melted materials 330, 350 by the protrusion 310. After the two branches 330, 350 engulfs the protrusion 310, the two branch flows 330, 350 join. After the melted material is solidified to form the first housing 10, a joint line 108 adjacent to the latch hole 1071 is formed in the first housing 10. In addition, the joint line 108 extends along a longitudinal direction X of the first housing 10.
Referring to FIG. 5 again, to assembly the optical connector 100, when the lock portion 142 is inserted into the lock receiving portion 107, the lock portion 142 is squeezed into the hollow cavity of the lock receiving portion 107, inner sidewall forming the hollow cavity as a result produces tension stresses F1, F2 along a direction Y. The tension stresses F1, F2 along the direction Y, which is different from the direction X, force the joint line 108 to widen. Therefore, the first housing 10 breaks easily from the joint line 108.
Therefore, a new optical connector is desired in order to overcome the above-described shortcomings.